James Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri to Carrie Langston Hughes and James Hughes. When he was young his parents divorced, and his father moved to Mexico. In effect, Langston Hughesmoved to Lawrence, Kansas to live with his grandmother, Sampson Patterson Leary Langston, and then at thirteen he went from Lincoln, Illinois to live with his mother to moving to Cleveland, Ohio. He began writing poetry in the eighth grade at Central High School, and as he grew older, his writing matured and became more distinct in high school. He wrote his first book, The Weary Blues , while he was in Washington D.C. in November 1924, and it was later published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926.Three years after, Hughes completed his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. In 1930, Not Without Laughter, his first novel, was published and won a Harlem gold medal of literature. While beginning his career, he started to mix blues and jazz into his work, and it later on contributed to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. The majority of his life was spent on lecturing and writing, and he claimed Walt Whitman, Paul Lawerence Dubber, and Carl Sandburg as his primary inspirations. One of his most famous poems titled "The Negro Speaks Rivers", was not only published, but it also appeared in Brownies's Book. In addition, his other works were shown in NAACP publication, Crisis Magazine, Opportunity Magazine, etc. In 1943 he begins to write for Chicago Defender a newspaper.In 1960, he was rewarded the Springian Medal by the NAACP for distinguished accomplishments by an African American.Even though Langston Hughes died of prostate cancer on May 22, 1967 his works continued to earn adulation. He was later honored with his residential street, 127th East Street in Harlem, New York, named after him, and it is now called "Langston Hughes Place." In addition, the Pinckney School, in Lawrence, Kansas, re-named its library the "Langston Hughes Library for Children" in 1991, and local children of Lawrence, Kansas petitioned the city commission to hold "Langston Hughes Day" on the anniversary of his birthday, on February 1.
Poems
Danse Africaine
The low of the tom-toms,
The slow beating of the tom-toms,
Slow...low-
Stir your blood.
Dance!
A night-veiled girl
Whirls softly into a
Circle of light
Whirls softly...slowly,
Like a wisp of smoke around the fire-
And the tom-toms beat,
And the tom toms beat,
and the low beating of tom-toms
stir your blood. Personal Response: I first thought the descriptive surroundings and the internal feelings were visually being described, and I felt like I was actually there with the dancers and listening to the rhythm of the drums. The majority of this poem has imagery and one simile. Rhyme scheme- AABCDEFGHIJJAC In the beginning the end words in the first two lines repeat and then none of the end words rhyme after the second line until line eleven, and then line thirteen rhymes with line one and two and the last line rhymes with line four. Theme- It's about the feeling you get while listening to the drums and watching the dancers circling the light.
Youth
We have tomorrow
Bright before us
Like a flame.
Yesterday
A night-gone thing,
a sun-down name.
and dawn-today
broad arch above the road we came.
We march!
Personal Response- My impression of the poem was that it has a great message about reality.
The poem uses simile. Rhyme Scheme- ABCDECDCF The first and second line do not rhyme, and the end words of the third, sixth, and eighth line rhyme. In addition, the end words of the forth and seventh line rhyme and the rest doesn't rhyme. Theme- The message is mainly about how life goes on and how we have to move along with it.
The first sentence of the poem is now on a plaque at the entrance of the city hall of Lawrence, Kansas. Dream Deferred What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Personal Response - I think that the poem asks questions that leave you to think and interpret the of meaning.
This poem uses simile. Rhyme Scheme- ABCDCEFEGHH The third and fifth line rhyme, and the sixth and eighth lines end words rhyme and two last lines end words rhyme. Theme- The topic is about what happens to a dream when it's delayed.
Life Accomplishments
Langston Hughes wrote sixteen books of poems, two novels, three collections of short stories, four volumes of "editorial" and "documentary" fiction, twenty plays, children's poetry, musicals and operas, three autobiographies, twelve radio and television scripts and numerous magazine articles, and he also edited seven anthologies.
Hughes' works includes:
Not Without Laughter (1930); The Big Sea (1940); I Wonder As I Wander" (1956), his autobiographies. His collections of poetry include: The Weary Blues (1926); The Negro Mother and other Dramatic Recitations (1931); The Dream Keeper (1932); Shakespeare In Harlem (1942); Fields of Wonder (1947); One Way Ticket (1947); The First Book of Jazz (1955); Tambourines To Glory (1958); and Selected Poems (1959); The Best of Simple (1961). He edited several anthologies like: An African Treasury (1960); Poems from Black Africa (1963); New Negro Poets: USA (1964) and The Best Short Stories by Negro Writers (1967).
*Langston Hughes*
James Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri to Carrie Langston Hughes and James Hughes. When he was young his parents divorced, and his father moved to Mexico. In effect, Langston Hughesmoved to Lawrence, Kansas to live with his grandmother, Sampson Patterson Leary Langston, and then at thirteen he went from Lincoln, Illinois to live with his mother to moving to Cleveland, Ohio. He began writing poetry in the eighth grade at Central High School, and as he grew older, his writing matured and became more distinct in high school. He wrote his first book, The Weary Blues , while he was in Washington D.C. in November 1924, and it was later published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926.Three years after, Hughes completed his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. In 1930, Not Without Laughter, his first novel, was published and won a Harlem gold medal of literature. While beginning his career, he started to mix blues and jazz into his work, and it later on contributed to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. The majority of his life was spent on lecturing and writing, and he claimed Walt Whitman, Paul Lawerence Dubber, and Carl Sandburg as his primary inspirations. One of his most famous poems titled "The Negro Speaks Rivers", was not only published, but it also appeared in Brownies's Book. In addition, his other works were shown in NAACP publication, Crisis Magazine, Opportunity Magazine, etc. In 1943 he begins to write for Chicago Defender a newspaper.In 1960, he was rewarded the Springian Medal by the NAACP for distinguished accomplishments by an African American.Even though Langston Hughes died of prostate cancer on May 22, 1967 his works continued to earn adulation. He was later honored with his residential street, 127th East Street in Harlem, New York, named after him, and it is now called "Langston Hughes Place." In addition, the Pinckney School, in Lawrence, Kansas, re-named its library the "Langston Hughes Library for Children" in 1991, and local children of Lawrence, Kansas petitioned the city commission to hold "Langston Hughes Day" on the anniversary of his birthday, on February 1.
Poems
Danse AfricaineThe low of the tom-toms,
The slow beating of the tom-toms,
Slow...low-
Stir your blood.
Dance!
A night-veiled girl
Whirls softly into a
Circle of light
Whirls softly...slowly,
Like a wisp of smoke around the fire-
And the tom-toms beat,
And the tom toms beat,
and the low beating of tom-toms
stir your blood.
Personal Response: I first thought the descriptive surroundings and the internal feelings were visually being described, and I felt like I was actually there with the dancers and listening to the rhythm of the drums.
The majority of this poem has imagery and one simile.
Rhyme scheme- AABCDEFGHIJJAC In the beginning the end words in the first two lines repeat and then none of the end words rhyme after the second line until line eleven, and then line thirteen rhymes with line one and two and the last line rhymes with line four.
Theme- It's about the feeling you get while listening to the drums and watching the dancers circling the light.
Youth
We have tomorrow
Bright before us
Like a flame.
Yesterday
A night-gone thing,
a sun-down name.
and dawn-today
broad arch above the road we came.
We march!
Personal Response- My impression of the poem was that it has a great message about reality.
The poem uses simile.
Rhyme Scheme- ABCDECDCF The first and second line do not rhyme, and the end words of the third, sixth, and eighth line rhyme. In addition, the end words of the forth and seventh line rhyme and the rest doesn't rhyme.
Theme- The message is mainly about how life goes on and how we have to move along with it.
The first sentence of the poem is now on a plaque at the entrance of the city hall of Lawrence, Kansas.
Dream Deferred
What happens to a dream deferred?
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Personal Response - I think that the poem asks questions that leave you to think and interpret the of meaning.
This poem uses simile.
Rhyme Scheme- ABCDCEFEGHH The third and fifth line rhyme, and the sixth and eighth lines end words rhyme and two last lines end words rhyme.
Theme- The topic is about what happens to a dream when it's delayed.
Life Accomplishments
Langston Hughes wrote sixteen books of poems, two novels, three collections of short stories, four volumes of "editorial" and "documentary" fiction, twenty plays, children's poetry, musicals and operas, three autobiographies, twelve radio and television scripts and numerous magazine articles, and he also edited seven anthologies.Hughes' works includes:
Not Without Laughter (1930); The Big Sea (1940); I Wonder As I Wander" (1956), his autobiographies. His collections of poetry include: The Weary Blues (1926); The Negro Mother and other Dramatic Recitations (1931); The Dream Keeper (1932); Shakespeare In Harlem (1942); Fields of Wonder (1947); One Way Ticket (1947); The First Book of Jazz (1955); Tambourines To Glory (1958); and Selected Poems (1959); The Best of Simple (1961). He edited several anthologies like: An African Treasury (1960); Poems from Black Africa (1963); New Negro Poets: USA (1964) and The Best Short Stories by Negro Writers (1967).Works Cited
"Langston Hughes." AfroPoets. MrAfrica@Afropoets.net, 2003. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. http://www.afropoets.net/langstonhughes.html.Kansas Heritage. Native Voices International, 1986. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.http://www.kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html."Langston Hughes." Poets. Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. http://poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83 and http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5757.Roessel, David, ed. Poetry for Young People Langston Hughes. Sterling, 2006. Print.
Langston Hughes. Susan Robinson, 9 May 2005. Web. 8 Mar. 2010. http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/LangstonHughes.htm.Phillips, Brant S. Langston Hughes. Chicago: Raintree, 2003. Print